Rub apron



Dec; 1952 H. M. BACON E'TAL RUB APRON Filed March '7, 1946 mm E RA 7M 06R T M R PM 0 N H EW T V N m T I IMJ A Patented Dec. 16, 1952 RUB APRONHenry M. Bacon and Joseph Rockoff, Dayton,

Ohio, assignors to The Dayton Rubber Company, a corporation of OhioApplication March 7, 1946, Serial No. 652,778

Claims. 1

This invention deals with rub aprons for processing wool fibers on theso-called woolen system including asbestos fibers, waste cotton and thelike, and with methods of making such aprons.

The textile processing for which the aprons of this invention are usedis carried out in a so-called condenser which consists of two pairs ofrotating rollers, one set placed on top of the other and parallellyarranged. Each pair of rollers is covered with an apron which providesfor sufiicient friction with the fibrous material. The rollers togetherwith the aprons rotate and at the same time oscillate with regard toeach other, and by this combined motion the transformation of the flatribbons between the aprons into the circular mass is performed.

It is an object of our invention to provide aprons for such condenserswhich have a high degree of oil resistance and thus are not harmed bythe oil or grease contained in wool.

It is another object of this invention to provide a rub apron which doesnot accumulate electrostatic charges and thus does not cause lapping upof the fibers during use, which would necessitate discontinuation of theoperation.

It is another object of this invention to provide rub aprons which havea high resistance to abrasion and consequently a long service life.

It is still another object of this invention to provide rub aprons whichare weather-independent, that means which do not lose their valuableproperties, such as fiber-gripping characteristics, etc., as thehumidity changes.

It is still another object of this invention to provide rub aprons whichretain their size and shape perfectly and which, when subjected todistorting stresses, return to their original dimensions and thus areself-adjusting.

It is consequently another object of this invention to provide apronswhich maintain a good contact with the rollers at all times and do nottravel laterally thereon, which in turn prevents the retaining buttonsattached at the edges of the aprons from tearing off.

It is a further object of this invention to provide rub aprons which aregreatly resistant to tear, so that, should the apron once become torn atthe edge by some unusual accident, this rent will not increase.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide rub apronswith which the time required for mounting and adjusting is essentiallyreduced due to the long service life and the self-adjustability of theseaprons.

It is still another object of this invention to provide rub aprons whichare highly flexible, a feature which is responsible for their runningmore easily than stiff aprons, for not showing a tendency of becomingbell-shaped at their edges and thus for not having areas of uneven wear.

These and other objects are accomplished by making an apron that has aninnermost rollercontacting section of fabric layers, a layer of nyloncords thereupon, a plurality of fabric strips substantiallyequidistantly arranged near the edges of the apron, a retaining buttoneach fastened to the apron in each of these fabric strips, and a rubbertop layer forming the fiber-contacting surface.

The invention will be more fully understood from the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an apron mounted on two parallelrollers;

Figure 2 is a side-elevational view of the apron shown in Figure l withparts thereofbroken away in order to show the arrangement of thebuttons; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-seetion taken along line 3-3of Figure l.

Referring to the drawings in particular, 4 and 5 are rollers on which anapron 6 .is mounted. The numeral 1 indicates fibrous strips which arefed between two aprons (the top apron is not shown) where each isconverted into a compact mass 8 of substantially circular cross-section.The numeral 9 designates retaining buttons attached to the apron closeto its edges; they prevent the apron from traveling on the roller. InFigure 2 only three of such buttons are shown for matter of simplicityand clarity. However, it will be understood that these buttons arearranged all around both edges of the apron. In Figure 3 the details ofthe construction of the apron are visible. There, the inner portion I0is illustrated as consisting of two layers of fabric. It is obvious,though, that 3, 4 or more layers of fabric may be applied. An evennumber, however, is preferred for reasons which will be set forth below.On this fabric portion there is arranged a layer of thin, substantiallyparallelly running nylon cords ll embedded in rubber or rubberlikematerial; these nylon cords extend all the way across the apron up tothe very edges. Above this cord layer, close to the edges, there areapplied a plurality of reinforcin strips l2 determined for carrying theretaining buttons 9. In the example illustrated in Figure 3 these stripsare built from four fabric layers In, lZb, 12c and lZd. It will be seenthat these layers are tapered- 1y arranged, the uppermost layer lZdbeing the smallest one. In substantially the center of each of thesestrips there is mounted and fastened a retaining button 9 which, in theexample of Figure 3, is secured to the apron by means of a rivet H3. Thetop layer M, which contacts the fibrous material, is formed of a rubberor rubber-like material; this layer extends across the entire apron andthus covers also the reinforcing strips.

The aprons are preferably made by first winding several layers of fabricon a mandrel, the outside diameter of which corresponds to the innerwidth desired of the apron. When applying the fabric layers, it isavoided that the splices of the various layers occur at the same places;it is preferred to have them arranged at different locations of theapron. It is furthermore desirable to alternate the direction of thelayers of fabric, that is to wind on the first layer and then to reversethe fabric for the second layer and so forth. By this, stresses whichmight arise fromwinding the fabric in one direction are compehs'ated forby the stress of the subsequent layer, since this latter stress isequivalent to that of the previous layer but opposite as to direction.This is the reason for preferring an even number' of fabric layers.After the desired number of fabric layers have been applied, they aresubjected to a rolling treatment whereby they are strongly pressed ontothe mandrel and against each other. Thereafter, the nylon cord is woundonto the-fabric layer, the windings being arranged substantiallyparallell'y to each other and to the longitudinal axis of the apron. Thecords are advantageously wound by starting from the center of the apronand progressing both ways towards its edges this specific way ofapplying the cord is another means for considerablydecreasing stressesin the apron. It is advantageous previously to treat the nylon cord witha material that enhances the bond of the cord with the'fabric and therubber material of the top layer. Thereafter, the reinforcing strips,which have been separately prepared from layers of fabric, are mountedon top of the cord layer close to the edges and preferably in equaldistances. These reinforcing strips are preferably cemented onto theprevious layers by some suitable bonding material known to those skilledin the art. Finally the rubber layer is applied and rolled down tightonto the other layers. The apron is then wrapped, e. g. in a jacketliner and cured whereby the various layers are integrally united. Duringthe curing operation the rubber of the cover and the bonding agents usedon the cord and fabric flow together and between the spaced cords iuiderpressure to integrally unite the various components to give the desiredfinal product. Then the aprons are ground to the right dimensions.Thereafter, the ends are trimmed, and holes for the rivets are thenplaced in the center of the reinforcing strips. A distance ofapproximately 7 from the edge is practical for these holes; however,other distances may be chosen depending on the dimensions of the apronand the rollers of the condenser. Any excess gum is then removed fromthe rivet holes so that the head of the rivet, when in place, is flushwith the surface of the apron'and does not extend therebeyond. Finallythe rivets are inserted and the buttons fastened thereto.

In an apron built according to this invention a number ofadvantageous-features are combined so as to yield an apron ofoutstanding qualities. It is characterized by excellentoperating'qualifications and a long service life. The feature of primeimportance, however, is its self-adjustability which prevents travelingof the apron on the rollers and buckling. The inner fabric layerprovides for a high resistance to abrasion. The nylon cord makes theapron highly elastic and tear resistant, and since these cords extend upto the edges, tearing of the edges will not occur under normalconditions. Due to the intermittent reinforcement for the buttons at theedges, the apron gives a strong support for the buttons without theflexibility of the apron being impaired thereby due to the flexiblerubber pieces alternating with the reinforcing strips. When the apronshave to be subjected to stretching, which, for example, occur duringmounting, or when lumps occur in the fibrous material, the apron alwaysentirely recovers its original dimensions after such stretches haveceased. Because the aprons of this invention have such a greatdurability and because they always retain or recover their originaldimensions, mounting of new aprons is rarely required and adjusting of.de-' formed aprons is hardly ever necessary; this represents not onlygreater economy with regard to material, but also a saving of time.

For the top layer of the apron any material known to those skilled inthe art are usable. Synthetic rubbers, for example, in particularchloroprene rubbers and butadiene copolymers such-as acrylic nitrilebutadiene-copolymers, have been found satisfactory.

It Willbe understood that, although our invention has been describedwith particular reference to rub aprons, it may be applied with equalsatisfaction to draft aprons, cots and other roll covers for textileprocessing machinery.

It will be also understood that while there have been described certainembodiments of our invention, it is not intended thereby to have thisinvention limited to or circumscribed by the specific details ofconstruction, arrangement of parts, materials or procedures describedherein or illustrated in the annexed drawings in view of the fact thatthis invention is susceptible to modifications according to individualpreference and conditions without departing from the spirit of thisdisclosure and the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. As a new article of manufacture, an apron for textile processingunits comprising an inner roller-contacting fabric layer, a layer ofcords embedded in rubber thereabove, a plurality of reinforcing fabricstrips arranged in layers along each edge-of the apron and above thecord layer, the strips along one edge being spaced fromcorrespondingstrips along the other edge, a top layer of rubber material forming afiber-contacting surface extending across the entire surface of theapron and covering the fabric strips, and a plurality of buttons eachfastened by fastening members passing through said reinforcing stripsand spaced along the edges ofthe apron.

2. As anew article of manufacture, an apron for textile processing unitscomprising an inner roller-contacting fabric layer, a layer of nyloncords embedded in rubber thereabove, a plurality of reinforcing fabricstrips arranged in layers along each edge of the apron andabove the cordlayer, the strips along one edge being spaced from corresponding stripsalong the other edge, a top layer of rubber material forming afiber-contacting surface extending across the entire surface ofthe apronand covering the. fabric strips,

and a plurality of buttons each fastened by fastening members passingthrough said reinforcing strips and spaced along the edges of the apron.

3. A rub apron for textile processing units comprising an innerroller-contacting fabric layer, a layer of nylon cords thereabove, aplurality of fabric reinforcing strips arranged in layers along eachedge of the apron, the layers along one edge being spaced from thelayers along the other edge, said layers consisting of a plurality ofsuperposed fabric strips successively narrower from the base of theapron to the top and arranged to abut the edges of the apron andpositioned above the cord layer, a top layer of rubber materialextending across the entire surface of the apron and covering the fabricstrips, and a plurality of spaced buttons each fastened through saidfabric strips along the edges of the apron.

4. A rub apron according to claim 2 wherein the fiber-contacting surfacelayer is composed of a synthetic rubber-like material.

5. A rub apron according to claim 2 wherein the fiber-contacting surfacelayer is composed of acrylic-nitrile butadiene copolymer syntheticrubber-like material. 6. A rub apron according to claim 2 wherein thefiber-contacting surface layer is composed of a chloroprene polymersynthetic rubber-like material.

7. A method of manufacturing aprons for textile processing unitscomprising wrapping an even number of fabric layers in alternatingdirections on a mandrel, winding cords treated with a bonding agent forfabric and rubber onto said fabric layers, arranging a plurality ofreinforcing strips in layers along the edges of said apron and above thecord layers, the layers along one edge being spaced from correspondinglayers along the other edge, applying a top layer of rubber materialacross the entire surface of the apron covering the cord layers and thefabric strips, curing the assembled layers to form an integral unit, andfastening a plurality of buttons to the bottom of the apron spaced alongthe edges thereof by means of fastening members passed through saidreinforcing strips.

8. A method of manufacturing aprons for textile processing unitscomprising wrapping a fabric layer onto a mandrel, winding a layer ofnylon cord onto said fabric layer, arranging a plurality of reinforcingstrips in layers along the edges of the apron and above the layer ofnylon cords, the layers along one of the edges being spaced from thelayers along the other edge, applying a top layer of rubber materialover the reinforcing strips and the nylon cord, curing the assembledlayers to form an integral unit, and fastening a plurality of buttonsalong the bottom of the apron spaced along the edges thereof by means offastening members passing through said reinforcing strips.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein the nylon cord is wound overthe fabric base layer starting from the center and proceeding towardboth edges of the apron.

10. A method of manufacturing aprons for textile processing units whichcomprises wrapping a base fabric layer onto a mandrel, winding nyloncords onto said base layer, arranging a plurality of reinforcing stripsin layers along the edges of the apron and above said nylon cords, thelayers along one of said edges being spaced from the layers along theother edge, applying a surface fibercontacting layer of rubber materialover the entire surface of said apron and above said reinforcing stripsand cord, applying pressure by rolling in order to compress the layer,wrapping said built-up apron, curing the apron to an integral unit,removing the wrapping, grinding said apron to the dimensions desired,forming a plurality of spaced holes through the reinforcing strips alongthe edges of the apron, inserting a rivet in each hole so that its headis flush with the surface of the cover, and fastening a retaining buttonto each of said rivets along the bottom edges of the apron.

HENRY M. BACON. JOSEPH ROCKOFF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,129,666 Gray Feb. 23, 19151,412,309 Lambert Apr. 11, 1922 1,442,767 Hunter et a1. Jan. 16, 19231,676,845 Teisher July 10, 1928 2,112,525 Foster Mar. 29, 1938 2,135,057S'layter et al Nov. 1, 1938 2,233,985 Knowland et al Mar. 4, 19412,377,316 Billmeyer June 5, 1945

